Tag Archives | music

I’ve written about my obsession with collecting and using points and miles numerous times on this blog. Our family has been able to earn points from credit card signup bonuses and spend and then turn them into great travel experiences at places that we would never have been able to afford if we had to pay.

While we tend to use our points on travel, sometimes special experiences and offers come around that can only be obtained with points. Unfortunately most of these deals are US-only, but we finally got one in Buenos Aires that sounds amazing!

Capital Cities will be performing a special private show at the Sheraton Buenos Aires on December 4, 2014, as part of the SPG Hear the Music concert series. This year-long concert series pairs one-off intimate performances at Sheraton properties around the globe. At each show, you’ll get members-only access to the performance as well as admission to a pre-show cocktail reception. (I’ve seen great reviews of the Starwood cocktail parties from other events.)

So, how do you get tickets? First, you’ll need 5,000 Starpoints (Starwood Hotels points currency). If you do not have those, you can always buy 5,000 Starpoints for U$S 175, though it’s always cheaper to have the points already. Next, head over to the SPG Hear The Music site and buy your package – admission for two to the pre-show cocktail party as well as two tickets to the show.

Unfortunately we just used most of our Starpoints on AA airfare and a stay at The Liberty Hotel in Boston. These were both great uses of Starpoints, especially since The Liberty was $457/night! If we can build our balance back up before they sell out, we’ll see you there!

Spotify is, without a doubt, my favorite online music service. I have been a premium subscriber ever since it launched in the US two years ago and use it every single day. It’s completely replaced iTunes, which I rarely use anymore.

If you’re not familiar with Spotify, it’s an online music streaming service for your desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet with over 20 million songs available – all 100% legal. It’s really a lot more than just streaming though as they also have radio stations and numerous apps that allow you to find and follow your favorite musical genres and artists. You can also follow your favorite artists as well as your friend’s musical tastes through social media and sharing on Facebook, Twitter, blogs and email.

The big news is that, as of today, Spotify is available in Argentina! This means that you can now sign up and listen in Buenos Aires without having to use a US credit card or proxy server.

What’s even more exciting is that the Argentine version of Spotify is less than half the price of the US version. Of course, they both have the same free ad-sponsored version, but Spotify Argentina also has a ARS $18/month unlimited version that is ad-free (not available in the US) and an ARS $36/month premium version which gives you access to their mobile app and offline syncing. The premium version is $9.99/month in the US, so this is a substantial savings. I’m planning on switching over to an Argentine account from my US one as soon as my current plan expires.

You can head over to the Spotify website now and download the app for your desktop or laptop for free and start listening right away. If you sign up for premium, you can download their iPhone or Android app as well.

While I absolutely love the service, I only have two minor complaints. The first is that you can only listen to it on one device at a time, so if I’m in my office listening, I can get kicked off by my 3-year old who wants to hear nursery rhymes on the iPad. The second is that they do not have separate profiles, so by sharing the account with my daughter I get recommendations to listen to both the latest Cold War Kids single and Dora the Explorer. It would be great to have a family plan option.

So, are you planning on signing up? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to check out the Share My Playlists site too. It’s a great way to discover new music.

UPDATE: Looks like the 1-year deal is now dead. You should be able to get 6-months free with this link.

SiriusXM is offering a free 1-year trial of Sirius XM Radio when you enter promo code CHEVY1YR. And the best part is that it does not seem to be geographically restricted, which means it works great in Argentina.

Simply enter a US zip code when signing up (90210?) and you’ll be emailed a username and password to access the service. (Please note that you cannot change the assigned password.) Then, sign in and start listening away.

The also have iOS, Android and BlackBerry apps and you can always connect that to your car stereo and have SiriusXM in your car too.

So, now you can get your music, Howard Stern, news, comedy and more. Unfortunately, the sports radio packages do not seem to be included in this offer, but what do you expect for free?